Britz And Stedman Proudly Represent New Zealand At Paris 2024

The New Zealand Paralympic Team made history today with Paralympic debutant Matt Britz being the first Kiwi representative in Para table tennis for 48 years. While in Stade de France Paralympian #208 William Stedman kick started his third Paralympic Games appearance in the Men’s Long Jump T36.

Paralympian #208 William Stedman competed in the Men’s Long Jump T36, the event where he claimed a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. In a field of nine loaded with experience Stedman placed 4th with some great jumps.

His first attempt was a no jump as Stedman touched the board however showed great length. Stedman’s second jump saw great extension through the air and a smile of relief at 5.63m. He continued to build with each jump and in round three achieved an impressive 5.74m.

Stedman went into round four ranked 4th out of the 8 jumpers in the Men’s Long Jump T36. His fourth attempt saw Stedman jump at the back of the board losing valuable distance and jumping 5.47m. He went into round five only 0.2m behind the top three Paralympians who were all tied up with best jumps of 5.76m. Stedman approached the fifth round with focus and determination to jump 5.69m. With one jump remaining Stedman needed more than 0.2m to leapfrog on to the podium. However his run up on his fifth and final jump was not what he wanted and he ran through the pit.

Evgenii Torsunov (Neutral Paralympic Athlete) won gold with a new Paralympic record of 5.83m followed by Aser Mateu Almeida Ramos s from Brazil winning silver and Oleksandr Lytvynenko form Ukraine winning the bronze medal.

Stedman said: “Obviously tough coming 4th by two centimetres and that is not what I came here to do but I gave it my all out there. After the first no jump I had to take one to get back into it, and then went hard for the last four jumps. I’m really happy with how I conducted myself, I gave it my all and mentally stayed present. I’m really happy with how I did that.

I knew this competition was going to be tight as this class is really competitive especially in the long jump and that showed today. It is cool to be part of it and I was not far away. The last few jumps my legs felt a bit tired, but that is sport. We kept it simple and tried not to over think it. It was great having my coach George here. He has done so much work for so many years. Having my family and supporters here was very cool. It was an awesome atmosphere tonight and great to see how the crowds are supporting the Paralympics. It is great to be here and compete at the Paralympics.”

Stedman’s Paralympic dream was sparked by watching the London 2012 Paralympic Games as a 12-year-old Cantabrian. Born with Cerebral palsy, he joined his local club, attended Para athletics development camps, and by virtue of his incredible work ethic, his dream came true when he was selected for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games at just 16 years of age. Winning two bronze medals in Rio 2016 was only the start, and he has carved out an impressive career since setting a raft of national records and snaring Paralympic silver and bronze medals at Tokyo 2020.

Overnight (NZT) Paralympic debutant Matt Britz made New Zealand Paralympic history as the first Kiwi representative in Para table tennis for 48 years - playing his round of 16 match in the Men’s Singles Class 7 event at South Paris Arena.

His opponent Charlermpong Punpoo of Thailand ranked 5th in the world showed his experience to take the match 3-2, however Britz pushed the 43-year-old and took the match to a thrilling five games.

In a brutal knockout format 20-year-old Britz known as the Silent Assassin, was focussed and determined. He showed the prowess of his backhand and took an early lead in the first game however 43-year-old Punpoo went on to win the game 11-6. In the second game Britz showed his grit resulting in being within two points of Punpoo at times throughout. Britz showed his powerful forehand shot with great back spin to reach game point, he won the second game, 12 -10. Game three saw Britz take an initial lead through attacking play. However, Punpoo and his well-known powerful forehand meant he took the third game, 11-4. The fourth game was close and tense with a place in the next round at stake. The pair pushed through long and impressive rallies. Britz took the game, 13-11. This led to the fifth game decider. The vastly experienced and highly ranked Punpoo took the final game 11-5 and in doing so, won the match 4-1.

Britz said: “I knew what I had to do, I’ve played against this player before and his is a tough guy. I have struggled against him in the past but with the result that I got I am pretty happy with that. When it is a five-setter in a game like that it is almost like we are evenly matched. It is just down to who wants it more. Unfortunately, he wanted it more than I did, and I saw the passion that he had. Every point that he played was pretty awesome to see and to go up against him. My mentality was just hit the ball until it drops onto the floor it’s as simple as that. I’ve played many competitions, and I just repeated in my head, this is just another competition. May as well be on the world stage. This has been a really awesome experience, and I am looking forward to what happens next.

I’m honoured to be the first New Zealand Para table tennis player in 48 years at the Paralympics. I guess now what I’m looking forward to is not only going to the next Paralympics but hopefully see some team mates there as well. We have some amazing players back home that are working hard and doing what they need to do to catch up to me and I’m positive that they will.”

Britz played various sports growing up in New Plymouth, but it was the rhythmic thrill of table tennis that captured his heart. Matt was born with Bailey-Bloch congenital myopathy, resulting in impaired muscle power, leg length difference and short stature. At the age of 8, Matt had joined his local table tennis club, and by the age of 13 had discovered Para table tennis. This gave him a profound sense of purpose and fulfilment and has helped him develop a successful mindset.

Day six (Tuesday 3 – Wednesday 4 September NZT) of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be a busy one for the NZ Paralympic Team with Paralympian #205 Jesse Reynolds and debutant Lili-Fox Mason will be in the pool for the first time in the Men’s 100m Backstroke S9 and Women’s 100m Butterfly S10 respectively. They will be joined by Paralympian #164 Cameron Leslie returning to the pool in the Men’s 200m Freestyle S4. At Stade de France Paralympian #224 Anna Steven will commence her Paris 2024 campaign with the Women’s 200m T64 alongside Paralympian #195 Anna Grimaldi in the Women’s 100m T47. William Stedman will be back this time on the track in the Men’s 400m T36.

For a full guide of when to watch the Kiwis and other Paris 2024 related information go here.

Notes:

About the New Zealand Paralympic Team

• The NZ Paralympic Team in Paris 2024 boasts 25 Para athletes across eight Para sports.
• The NZ Paralympic Team is one of New Zealand’s most successful sport teams, consistently performing on the world stage. In Tokyo 2020, the Team placed fourth in the world per capita, with 97 percent of the Team having top eight finishes.
• NZ Paralympic Team strives to challenge perceptions towards disability, showcasing high performance athletes who prove anything is possible.
• Since Tel Aviv 1968 Paralympic Games, 227 New Zealand Paralympians have been part of New Zealand Paralympic Teams competing at 26 Paralympic Games (14 summer and 12 winter) winning a staggering 236 medals (201 in summer and 35 in winter).
• Paralympics New Zealand’s marketing campaign, “We’ll Give You Something To Talk About” is designed to challenge perceptions and encourage New Zealanders to support and celebrate New Zealand Paralympians and Para athletes at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

How to watch

• TVNZ will broadcast the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in New Zealand. Paris 2024 will see the most extensive coverage for a Paralympic Games in New Zealand to date. This will include coverage on TVNZ 1 from 7.30pm, five dedicated TVNZ+ pop-up channels covering live and delayed content, plus replays and highlights.

About Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ)

• Paralympics New Zealand is the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for New Zealand. We are a charity and our overall vision is ‘Transforming lives through Para sport’. As a member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), we are part of a worldwide social change movement, which uses the power of sport to positively influence community perceptions of disabled people and to promote a more diverse and inclusive society.
• To do this, we support and celebrate the achievements of Para athletes at international and national competitions all year round. Every two years, we lead New Zealand teams to the Paralympic Games. We also work in the local community to advocate for sport to become more accessible for disabled people and to support the creation of more systems and programmes to enable participation in Para sport.
• Our funding comes from a mix of public donations, fundraisers, philanthropic partners, commercial partners, plus government and community grants, which together make our Para sport, community and advocacy programmes possible.
• To find out more about us, please visit about us
• To support Paralympics New Zealand click here
• Join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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